The field of the invention relates generally to pest control devices and, particularly, to rodent or insect control devices where the rodent or insect is trapped or poisoned.
Controlling and catching pests, including rodents, is a continuing issue for many, especially commercial entities, particularly those involved in the food industry. This issue is particularly significant where pests, such as rodents or insects, are located, or travel, in hard to reach areas, making it difficult to set, retrieve and service traps.
Considerable art relative to trapping of rodents has been developed over the years.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,380, Fornal, Sr., Rodent Enclosure, describes an enclosure housing for capturing a live rodent unharmed having a baited enclosure chamber, a one way entrance, having an open portal, a level ramp, pivotally mounted in the entrance portal chamber of the enclosure adapted for movement between a level access position and an inwardly and downwardly tilted position to provide access and to automatically return to the level position for preventing escape.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,781, Vine, Mouse Trap, describes a trap for capturing mice or other rodents. The device includes a main body having an entrance ramp leading thereinto. A bait container is positioned within the main body to attract a mouse towards a pivotally mounted trap door. A holding compartment positioned beneath the trap door receives the mouse within a removable drawer. The drawer includes an insertable screen which permits removal of the drawer and transport of the mouse to an exterior area for release thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,852, Sarff, Rotating Cylinder Rodent Trap, describes a trap for capturing rodents within a bucket. The device includes an axle having a cylinder rotatably positioned therein. A mounting assembly secures the axle across an open upper end of a container. A ramp extends from ground surface to the upper end of the container, whereby a comestible paste applied to the cylinder will lure a rodent up the ramp and onto the cylinder which rotates to deposit the rodent into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,171, Hershey, Multiple-Catch Mouse Trap, describes a container with a lid having a plurality of open entrance aperture tubes combined with similar apertures possessing one way passage devices and a bait compartment to induce mice and the like to pass through the one way passage device. It is adapted for use with a variety of standard commercial containers, such as five gallon plastic buckets, oil drums, and trash cans, containing additional bait and captured mice. The one way passage device is located on the top of the container and is utilized for the purpose of preventing mice from reversing their direction and exiting the trap.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,824, Fiore, Jr., Rubber Band Powered Mousetrap, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,020, Fiore, Jr., et al, Rubber Band and Spring Powered Mousetraps, describe tunnel-type mousetraps having a central trapping mechanism powered by a rubber band or a coil spring. If a rubber band is used, it is wound between an anchor plate in the top wall of the tunnel and a striker plate that fits over the anchor plate and has end walls with trapping apertures that project downwardly through the tunnel. The rubber band urges the striker plate upwardly, and the trap is set by pushing down on the striker plate to engage a pivotal trigger carried by the anchor plate. When a mouse enters the tunnel and dislodges the trigger, the striker plate springs upwardly under the force of the rubber band traps the mouse""s neck in one of the trapping apertures. The trigger may be scented to attract mice and may hold a sunflower seed as additional bait. To provide the trap with a longer shelf life, the rubber band may be replaced by a coil spring fitted between the anchor plate and the striker plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,354, Carnwath, Bi-Directional Tunnel Rat Trap, describes a tunnel trap for use on paths normally used by rates and has two trips operated sequentially. A rat entering either end of the tunnel activates one trip and advances into the tunnel, activating the other trip, releasing the spring driven striker. The elements of the trap are specifically proportioned to assure that regardless of which direction the rat is passing through the tunnel, it will be trapped and killed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,274, Smith et al, Rodent Trap, describes a rodent trap for drowning a plurality of rodents and other small pests without the need for resetting the trap is disclosed. The device includes a ramp engageable to a rim of a conventional pail and a rotating body positionable horizontally within the pail. The pail is partially filled with water or a mixture of water and ethylene glycol in such manner that the rotating body is free to rotate a distance above the water or mixture line. The rotating body includes a cylindrical body rotatably mounted to a shaft in such a manner that a rodent or like pest is unable to feed upon a rodent-attracting substance such as peanut butter spread on the cylindrical body without stepping upon the cylindrical body and thereby causing the cylindrical body to rotate and force the rodent or like pest into the water or mixture water and ethylene glycol.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,623, Celestine, Rodent Trap, describes a rodent trap which includes a central housing interior into which a rodent is lured by bait and enters on a rodent entry ramp and inside which is located a rotating trap door that is operated by a high speed DC motor which is actuated by an infrared sensor positioned inside the housing. The motor is engaged to rotate the trap door and timed by a cam switch to return to a closed position and ready to operate for the entry of the next rodent. When the rodent falls through the trap door, it falls into a rodent box which is received by an insertion in the housing lower section. The entry ramp facilitates rodent entering the trap at an elevation above the rodent box located in the lower portion of the trap.
Other traps for rodents are shown in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,148,624, Schmidt, Mousetrap; U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,784, Oscarsson, Rodent and Small Animal Trap; U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,512, Krenzler, Mouse Trap; U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,663, Fields, Multiple Live Mouse Trap; U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,034, Robin et al, Rodent Trap; and U.S. Design Pat. No. D-382,039, Zyra, Mouse Trap With Ramp and Spinning Bait Bobbin.
The above art describes a myriad of devices intended to trap rodents and similar creatures. However, the art all assumes relatively easy access to the place where the rodents are located or are traveling. None of the art addresses the problem of placing, retrieving and maintaining traps in locations which are hard to access.
Typically, pests, including rodents and insects, prefer to keep out of sight and prefer to keep in relatively confined spaces. Such pests generally prefer to travel, for example, along the intersection of a floor, shelf, or other horizontal surface, and an adjacent wall. This makes the place most likely to intercept a pest, in order to effectively trap the pest, largely inaccessible. In a building, e.g., a warehouse, goods are likely to be placed relatively close to the walls preventing easy access to the wall. The use of shelves particularly limits the availability of access to wall/floor intersection and the positioning of articles on the shelves limits the availability of access to the proximity of the shelves and the wall. A particularly good place to trap such pests is under shelving near the back and in close proximity to the wall in front of which the shelving is placed. This is a very difficult location to place, retrieve and maintain pest traps. Additional areas which are particularly lucrative for trapping pests but which are relatively inaccessible include areas under counters and behind equipment.
Observed rodent activity in areas having food located on shelving, such as grocery stores, has been primarily on the floor under the shelving along the back wall of the shelf. In addition, the rodent activity is often under a shelf in the middle of a floor with no vertical wall nearby. It would then be desirable to create a pathway to direct the rodent activity. For the most effective results, it is preferable to have a rodent control device located in the area most frequented by the rodents. This is a particularly difficult area in which to place, service and remove a rodent control device.
In some cases, it may be necessary to remove product from the shelves and, even, partially disassemble the shelving in order to gain access to the area most frequented by the rodents.
The present invention provides a pest control device, and a method of suppressing a pest, which can be discretely and easily placed, serviced and removed from the proximity of areas where pests, including rodents and insects, are likely to frequent, including the area near the floor-wall juncture behind shelving and/or products or equipment or on the floor under shelving or counters where no vertical wall is nearby.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a pest control device for controlling a pest having a pest suppression device having an ingress for the pest and an elongate arm having a proximate end and a distal end, the proximate end of the elongate arm connected to the pest suppression device communicating with the ingress and facilitating a pathway for the pest from the distal end of the elongate arm to the ingress.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a pest control device for controlling a pest having a platform allowing for mounting of a pest suppression device having at least one ingress for the pest and an elongate arm having a proximate end and a distal end, the proximate end of the elongate arm connected to the platform allowing communication with the ingress and facilitating a pathway for the pest from the distal end of the elongate arm to the platform in the vicinity of the ingress.
Preferably, the elongate arm articulates with respect to the pest suppression device.
Preferably, the pest control device has a generally planar surface, wherein the generally planar surface is horizontal when the pest control device is in use, wherein the elongate arm has a major axis, and wherein is the major axis of the elongate arm is positioned horizontally when the pest control device is in use.
Preferably, the pest control device has generally planar upper and lower surfaces, the generally planar upper and lower surface being horizontal when the pest control device is in use.
Preferably, the elongate arm pivots along the generally planar surface.
Preferably, the pest suppression device comprises a trap or poison.
Preferably, the pest control device has a plurality of elongate arms, each having a proximate end and a distal end, the proximate end of each of the plurality of elongate arms being connected to the platform allowing communication with the ingress and facilitating a pathway for the pest from the distal end of each of the plurality of elongate arms to the platform.
Preferably, the distal end of at least one of the plurality of elongate arms is extendible and retractable with respect to the pest suppression device.
Preferably, at least one of the plurality of elongate arms comprises a planar sheet mounted vertically to the pest suppression device and has a top edge and wherein the top edge of the proximate end of the planar sheet has a plurality of serrations allowing the extendibility of the at least one of the of plurality of elongate arms to be extendible in a plurality of detent positions.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of suppressing a pest, where the pest is expected to be found near a juncture between a horizontal surface and a vertical surface and where access to the juncture between the horizontal surface and the vertical surface is difficult to access. A pest control device is place on the horizontal surface distant from the juncture of the horizontal surface and the vertical surface. The pest control device has a platform allowing for mounting of a pest suppression device having at least one ingress for the pest and an elongate arm having a proximate end and a distal end, the proximate end of the elongate arm connected to the platform allowing communication with the ingress and facilitating a pathway for the pest from the distal end of the elongate arm to the platform in the vicinity of the ingress. The distal end of the elongate arm is moved in proximity of the juncture of the horizontal surface and the vertical surface. In this way a pathway from the juncture of the horizontal surface and the vertical surface to the pest suppression device is facilitated.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of suppressing a pest, where there is an opening between a horizontal surface and a bottom of a shelf, the shelf having a front edge and a rear edge. The method includes placing a pest control device on the horizontal surface at a position underneath the shelf and positioned between the front edge and rear edge. The pest control device has a platform allowing for mounting of a press suppression device having at least one ingress for the pest and an elongate arm having a proximate end and a distal end, the proximate end of the elongate arm connected to the platform allowing communication with the ingress and facilitating a pathway for the pest from the distal end of the elongate arm of the platform in the vicinity of the ingress. The distal end is moved to a position between the front edge and rear edge when the pest control device is placed, whereby a pathway from under the shelf to the pest control device is created.